The subject matter disclosed herein relates to filters and, more particularly, to filter assemblies in a rotary machine.
Certain types of machines require a clean airflow in order to operate properly and efficiently. One example of this type of machine is a gas turbine. During operation of a gas turbine, a compressor draws in air from the surrounding environment, compresses the air, and provides it to a combustion chamber. In the combustion chamber, the air is mixed with a supplied fuel that is ignited. This creates high temperature combustion gases that drive the gas turbine.
In order to maintain and/or increase the efficiency of the rotary machine, the air from the surrounding environment must be filtered to remove unwanted particles so that clean, filtered air is provided to the remaining portions of the gas turbine system. The air flows through the filter elements such that the unwanted particles are removed from the air. The media within the filter elements may be pleated to increase the filter surface area, without substantially increasing the overall size and weight of the filter elements.